cover image The Lost Battalion: Controversy and Casualties in the Battle of Hue

The Lost Battalion: Controversy and Casualties in the Battle of Hue

Charles A. Krohn. Praeger Publishers, $101.95 (224pp) ISBN 978-0-275-94532-9

Krohn, who served as the unit's intelligence officer, draws an instructive comparison between two drastically different battles fought in early 1968 by the 2nd Battalion, 12th Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. In the first, 2/12 successfully withstood a North Vietnamese assault on firebase LZ Ross in the Que Son Valley. Essential to that success was the abundance of artillery and air support and adequate ammunition. Monsoon weather, logistical bungling and poor command decisions at divisional level, dictated that 2/12 went into the second battle, outside of Hue City, without air or artillery support. The battalion was surrounded by the enemy and began to run out of ammunition. As casualties mounted, the unit commander, Lt. Col. Richard Sweet, decided to walk his troops out of the encirclement under the cover of darkness. Led by ``the ultimate point man,'' Private Hector L. Cammacho, the bold maneuver succeeded. Krohn, a retired lieutenant colonel, calls for stateside training in which infantry battalions practice operations after vital support systems have faltered. His first-rate account demonstrates what can happen in combat when such systems do break down. Photos. (Mar.)